DAY 19 – FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Wednesday, June 24
No Matches
World champs ease past Netherlands into quarter-finals – FIFA
FIFA Women’s World Cup™ holders Japan are into the quarter-finals after goals in each half were enough for a 2-1 win over Netherlands in Vancouver setting up the Nadeshiko for a match-up against Australia.
Japan advances to quarter-finals despite frantic finish – Metro
Japan grabbed the lead early, on a goal from Saori Ariyoshi in the 10th minute, and was forced to defend in the second half, especially in a frantic three-minute period of stoppage time, in a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands at BC Place Stadium on Tuesday.
Canadian team’s bandwagon keeps getting bigger – 24 Hours
Have you caught it yet? The fever? It seems to be spreading across this great nation of ours as we either already have or are starting to fall in love with a few ladies in red.
Christine Sinclair makes Canadian soccer players better: Coach John Herdman – CBC
Under coach John Herdman, Sinclair is no longer at the front of the Canadian ship. She is there to float the entire boat, making everyone better.
Confident Canada expects tight match against England – TSN
As John Herdman prepares his team for Saturday’s quarter-final match against England, the Canada coach says the Women’s World Cup final now “feels like it’s within touching distance.” He’s calling on the crowd at BC Place to help lift his team to victory like they did against Switzerland in the Round of 16.
Canada’s English coach John Herdman looking to end Lionesses’ trophy hopes – The Mirror
England captain Steph Houghton faces a duel with Canada coach John Herdman – who comes from 20 miles down the road in County Durham. While Sunderland fan Houghton grew up in South Hetton, the man plotting her downfall in the women’s World Cup quarter-finals dreams dreams of managing Newcastle and was born in Consett.
U.S. preparing for quarterfinal without Rapinoe, Holiday – The Equalizer
Exactly how the United States will create moving forward without Rapinoe is unclear. The rest of the midfield has largely struggled this tournament, and China is one of the most defensively disciplined teams in the tournament. U.S. coach Jill Ellis says she has full confidence in the rest of the team. “We’ve invested in players over the last six months, we’ve dealt with injuries,” Ellis said. “I feel very confident in the players we have to be able to come on and contribute.”
Chinese warriors ready to revive spirit of old – FIFA
A recurring name throughout the history of women’s international football is China PR. From being hosts of the first FIFA Women’s World Cup™ tournament in 1991 to their role in the famous 1999 Final, the Steel Roses have often been prominent. And now, after surprisingly failing to qualify for Germany 2011, they are back as a major player in the international arena.
Abby Wambach apologizes for criticizing referee – The Equalizer
Abby Wambach apologized on Tuesday for comments she made about referee Stephanie Frappart following the United States’ 2-0 victory over Colombia on Monday in the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup.
Matildas set for pay rises, say Football Federation Australia – The Guardian
The Matildas who made the World Cup squad would have earned around $52,000 for their national team efforts over the past year. That factors in their annual contract, daily touring allowance, match fees and a share in prize money from Canada. Should the Matildas continue their winning ways to triumph in the 6 July (AEST) final, that figure would increase to around $76,000.
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MLS
From MLS to USL, 401 Derby meetings with the Montreal Impact mean a little bit extra for Toronto FC – MLS
“These rivalry games, when you get to a club, they’re the first games that you hear the fans talk about it,” Michael Bradley said. “For me, that was certainly the case. When I got here, it was ‘playoffs, playoffs, playoffs’ and ‘Montreal, Montreal, Montreal.’ For us, they’re big games. They’re exciting games. We know that our fans will certainly be up for it. Montreal is coming off a positive run, so we expect a good game.”
Is today, St-Jean Baptiste Day, finally the day the Impact wins at BMO Field? – 24th Minute
Since 2008, the 401 Derby as been contested eleven times at BMO Field and eleven times the Impact have failed to take all three points. It could all change today, after 5 wins out of their last 7 league games and the third best points per game average in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal side is poised to get that elusive victory on its National Holiday,nonetheless.
10 questions about Toronto vs. Montreal with their hometown heroes – MLS
The rivalry between these two Canadian clubs is a relatively young one, having started with the creation of the Amway Canadian Championship in 2008, but it is rooted in a much deeper history. The two cities – the largest in Canada – are differentiated by distinct history, culture and politics, as well as a strong sense of city pride. Oh yeah, and there’s the small matter of that hockey rivalry.
TFC’s Vanney disgusted over Jacobson escaping ban – Sportsnet
Coach Greg Vanney said some of his players are still feeling the effects of Saturday’s loss which saw New York play a very physical style of game. Sebastian Giovinco was the recipient of a lot of attention—he was routinely fouled off the ball, and at one point ws shoved down to the ground by a New York player.
Professional Referee Organization announces referee assignments for Week 17 of 2015 MLS season – MLS
Allen Chapman is the referee New England Revolution vs. Vancouver Whitecaps.
Jurgen Klinsmann says Clint Dempsey’s US Open Cup outburst was “a mistake, and mistakes happen” – MLS
Like just about everyone else, USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann saw the clip of the Dempsey knocking referee Daniel Radford’s notebook from his hand then ripping it up, actions that earned him a red card and the subsequent ban, during stoppage time of an Open Cup match against the Portland Timbers last Tuesday. Though Klinsmann labelled Dempsey’s action “a mistake,” the German included his captain among the 23 players called up for the Gold Cup on Tuesday.
Andrea Pirlo is a dubious luxury for NYC FC unless they think long-term – The Guardian
Look closer though, and the story is a little more complex. Pirlo may have just come off a Champions League final appearance for Juventus, and the decline of a player of his footballing brain can be managed better than that of more physical midfielders, but he’s still 36. Frank Lampard is 37.
The Union are the worst team in MLS – Philly Soccer Page
The Union’s problems go bone deep, a fact no longer possible to hide. The club appears to many like the classic cheap modern townhouse that crumbles in a hurricane while older, sturdier, better constructed homes withstand storm after storm. This team was constructed poorly. They can win some games, but unless things go perfectly — i.e. no major injury problems, no difficult road trips — they simply cannot compete with quality, modern MLS teams on a broad basis.
Chicago Fire’s Arena Losses Have Village Taking on More Debt – Bloomberg
The village 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Chicago is selling $16 million in general-obligation debt this week to refinance existing securities, most of which are tied to the site that opened in June 2006. The venue, called Toyota Park, generates an annual loss of $3 million to $4 million for Bridgeview.
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CANADA – 2015 GOLD CUP
Canada MNT set for CONCACAF Gold Cup action – CSA
Fresh off a pair of FIFA World Cup qualifying victories, Canada’s Men’s National Team now sets their sights on the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. 15 years after Canada’s only victory in the tournament, Canadian Head Coach Benito Floro has named the 23 players that will assemble in California to prepare for their first game of the tournament against El Salvador on 8 July at StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Rehearsals, rebuilding over for Canada as daunting Gold Cup job beckons – MLS
After two years of tinkering and building, head coach Benito Floro will finally get the chance to lead his Canadian team into some serious, competitive matches (sorry, Dominica) at next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. As of Tuesday afternoon, we know the 23 men who’ll be leading that charge.
Canada name 10 MLSers to 23-man roster as Benito Floro sets sights on tournament final – MLS
The Canadian national team named its 23-man Gold Cup roster on Tuesday, including in-form Orlando City striker Cyle Larin and nine other MLS-based pros in the group head coach Benito Floro believes can make a deep tournament run 15 years after their first and only championship in the event.
Canada announces 23-man Gold Cup roster – Goal
Canada heads into the Gold Cup on a four-game winning streak, with all of those victories coming against CONCACAF teams. Under Floro, Canada has yet to lose to any opposition from within the region, but the Spaniard cautioned that the level of competition at the Gold Cup will represent a step up from what his team has faced so far this year.
Russell Teibert named to Canada’s final roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup – Whitecaps FC
Canada, who are co-hosting the tournament, tabbed Teibert after his impressive outing in the recently-concluded home-and-away series against Dominica for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Whitecaps FC Homegrown player from Niagara Falls, Ontario scored his first senior international goal in the 2-0 road win on June 11.
CONCACAF Gold Cup: Atiba Hutchinson, Milan Borjan to miss tourney – CBC
Canada will be without influential midfielder Atiba Hutchinson and No. 1 goalkeeper Milan Borjan for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.
Fury FC Midfielder Julian De Guzman Named to Canada’s Men’s National Team for CONCACAF Gold Cup – Ottawa Fury
Ottawa Fury FC midfielder Julian De Guzman has been named to the Canadian Men’s National Team that will compete in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.
CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Final 23-Player Rosters Announced – CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) made public today the official final rosters submitted by the 12 Participating Member Associations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015, to be played from July 7-26 in 13 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
Total of 45 MLS players named to 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 23-man rosters – MLS
Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas will be represented by a league-high five players. The New England Revolution are the only MLS side without a player in the tournament which kicks off on July 7.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s U.S. Gold Cup roster favors experience over youth – ESPN FC
Seventeen players who helped the Americans reach the knockout stage at Brazil 2014 last summer, the most ever in the year after a World Cup, made the Gold Cup squad, which will try to defend the United States’ 2013 regional title and automatically qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup — the dress rehearsal for the main event in Russia in 2018.
Jurgen Klinsmann changes tack, opts for experience over development with U.S. Gold Cup roster – MLS
For US national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, much of the past year has been about transition from old to new. Klinsmann has done his best to move the USMNT into a new generation, consistently calling in younger players as he looks toward the future.
What if the USMNT Gold Cup roster was based on form only? – Prost Amerika
Prost-Amerika’s Scott Nicholls analyzed over 70 American players to see what the 35 man — and 23 man — roster would look like if Klinsmann selected the United States Men’s National team solely on recent form. The players analyzed were recently called up ones, veteran ones, and even included players whom have never played for the national side.
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NASL
Tampa Bay Rowdies and Brazilian Powerhouse São Paulo FC Announce International Partnership – Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies and Brazil’s São Paulo Futebol Clube announced today a historic international partnership, that will strengthen both clubs’ visions of developing youth and professional players in the Americas and abroad.
NASL Notes: Savarese confirms interest in Gomez; Rowdies partner with Sao Paulo FC; and more – SBI
If New York Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese has his way, Herculez Gomez would be one of several summer signings to bolster his team’s lineup. After reports of interest surfaced last week, Savarese confirmed that the Cosmos are interested in acquiring Gomez, who most recently featured for Liga MX’s Puebla while on loan from Tijuana.
BC SOCCER
Mid-Isle Mariners split PCSL play over weekend – Nanaimo Daily News
The team lost 2-1 to the Kamloops Heat on Saturday but were able to bounce back with a victory via the same scoreline the following day against the previously undefeated Vancouver United.
Nanaimo Sports hall of famers a deserving class – Nanaimo Bulletin
The Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame welcomed four new inductees in a recent ceremony at the Nanaimo Museum. Inducted in the builder category was longtime soccer referee Dr. Ed Johnson, and in the pioneer category was native soccer player Harry Manson.
Kamloops Youth Soccer Association Hosts England School Team – KYSA
The Kamloops Youth Soccer Association (KYSA) is in the final stages of preparations to host the Moreton School Football Academy from Wolverhampton in England. Moreton will be facing the KYSA’s Under-18 Select Team (with a few guest players from TRU’s men’s squad) in an exhibition match this coming Friday, June 26th at Mac Park Field #2. The game is set to kick-off at 6:00pm.
Residency Week 2015: Whitecaps U18 coach Rich Fagan on moving through the ranks and the “carrot” of the WFC2 pathway for his players – AFTN
When Rich Fagan became the ‘Caps new Under-18 coach back in January, after Steve Meadley moved up to become Alan Koch’s assistant with the WFC2 side, the promotion was a natural and seamless transition.
Pinns FC teams headed for provincials – Penticton Western News
Five Pinnacles Football Club teams will be vying for a provincial championship next month.
Unique program builds champions on and off the soccer pitch – Burnaby News Leader
It’s a long way from New Westminster’s Queen’s Park to Camp Nou in Barcelona. For eight years Shawn Cody has been working to bridge that divide with a group of young female soccer players he first started coaching when they were playing U-10 house league.
WORLD OF SOCCER
Roberto Firmino signing lays down a marker for Liverpool next season – ESPN FC
The pessimists will naturally keep their guard up. After all, Liverpool spending a large transfer fee has almost become a guarantee of mediocrity over the past six or seven years and it will take more than a few Twitter vines or YouTube videos to convince them.
Court ruling blocks Uefa from implementing next stage of FFP rules – The Guardian
The claimants include Manchester City supporters and Paris Saint-Germain fans as well as the Belgian agent Daniel Striani. Manchester City and PSG were sanctioned by Uefa last season for breaching the FFP rules, which state clubs in European competition must only spend what they earn, with some limited flexibility.